Fluid meter



Aug. 2l, H923.

' R. J. LYMAN FLUID METER 1921 2' Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 28

ug. 2l, 1923'.

R. J. LYMAN FLUID METER Filed Dec. 28 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 @mi //fn r11 i i fr Mw HI 4M? Z .I -14 n M 1414l414 g @ww h /...y au w V 4 4 Il ZW w a, w

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RAY J'. LYMAN'-, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNA, ASSIGNOR TO GREAT WESTERN METER GO., 0F SAN FRANCSCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION; OF GALIFGRNIA.

FLUID METER.-

A-pplication iled December 2,8', 1921, Serial No. 525,274'.

lTo @ZZ whomz'tmay cont-ern Be it knowii that` l, Rar J. LYMAN, a citizen of the Unitedv States, residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and Statev of California, have invented certain Vnew and useful i lmprjovements in Fluid Meters, of which the following is a speciication, 7 f Y My invention relatesV to fluid meters, an d more particularly to a meter especially adapted for theI volumetric measurement of i idowing liquids.v

The objectsof myV invention are to lprovide a dence of the 'described type. Whichisompact, simple inlconstruction, and accurate in operation, and vwhich may be easily taken apart for cleaning and repair. To this Vend my invention comprises, broadly, a shell havingtwo separate fluid passages therethrough, one` of,4 whichI hasassociatedfwithyit a device for, registering the, volume O fHV fluid passing By. establishing the proper 'ratio betweenthe amountsy of luidpassing throughv the registering. andthe ndi-ifregisteringpassages, and by constructing the Aregistering inechanismf accordingly, said ine'chanisin-l iscausedto reglster'tlie total amount of fluid passing through, both passages. 5 e Q11 acuntefts compact sizeand simpl@ construction, ymy meter has a wide variety of uses, suchY for example as measuri ng4 gasoline as delivered from astorage tank or tank wagon, measuring milk flowing without departing trom thel spirit of the' .from a. separator, or in fact, in any situation where thev volumetric measurement of a flowing liquid is; desired. Although my invention7 in its preferred embodimennwas herein illustrated and described, comprises .a Vfree-flow meter, designed to operate iiiV positions in; which it -will not be subjectto back-pressure, I ,do not. wish,l to VbeV limited thereto for, as will' become, obvious from the readily adapted VtoV operateunder pressure,

invention. Similarly, Otherch'anges in the Y forni `and construction ofthe device may be` made, within. thejscope of the claims hereto appended,l without l'affecting the essentialssof the said invention.;

l/Yith vthis-in viewmy fiuifdfmeter will now following description', my'Y i'neterkV may' bel be fully described; with reference to the accompanying drawingsJ whereinlig. 1 is an exterior side elevation of my fluid meter.

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the same.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sectional plan views respectivelytaken on the lines 3,-3, 44l and 5,-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig.r 6 is a perspective detail of the turbine rotor and its lower supporting bearing.

Fig, 7 is a, side elevation with the outer shell broken away. A

F ig. 8 is a vertical section taken approximately on the` line 8-8 of Fig. 2.

Y provided with afluid inlet 13, and the bottom, plate 12 withaiuid outlet 14; Within the shell 10, and spaced therefrom, isv an inner cylindrical` wall 15j. The. annular space` 'between said wall 15 andv the' outer shell 1V is divided by radially disposed vertical'partitions 16, Figs. 3 and 4, into, a series of compartments. In the form of my device illustrated in the drawings, l'have shown four suchpartitions 16, but more: or less may be provided if necessary` Said partitions 16, in .addition to dividingthe annular space between the shell 10 and the inner cylinder 15 intoA separate compait, ments, also act as spacers to hold said inner cylinder in concentric spaced relation to said shell. They are preferably secured to said inner cylinder, and have arcuate flanges 17, Figs.,v Lland 7, which` lit closely within the shell'. Upon the removal of either end' plate 11 or 12, the inner cylinder 15 with the partitions 16 may be drawn. outV from the shell for cleaning or repairs.` i

` The inner cylinder 15 contains a cylindrical screen- 18, Figs; 4,8 and?, preferably spacedlfroin its wall by verticalmeinbers V19, Fig. 4. The iuid inlet 13,1as shown in Fig.

`8, directs the incoming'jiiuidfinto the interior of` saidV cylindrical screen 1S; The

^ wall of the inner cylinder 15 is perforated by a plurality of relatively small apertures 2O and 21, Figs. a and 7, which enable the iluid to pass into the compartments 22 and 23 of the annular space between said inner cylinder and the shell 10. Said compartments are "divided'into two'group's, the two compartments 22 being opposite each other, andV separated by the other two compartments 23. The compartments 22 extend to the lower end of the shell 10, and form vertical passages having free communication with the Voutlet 11i, as shown in Fig. 8. The compartments 23 terminate at their lower ends in tangential openings 2a, :Figs 5 and 9, leading into an annular turbine chamber 25 formed below the inner cylinder 415 and secured thereto. Said turbine chamber 25 is` separated from the inner cylinder by 'a horizontal plate 26, Figs. 8 and 9, and is provided ,with a-central outlet 27, Figs.V 5

Vand 9, positioned above and in frcecommunication with the mainiiuid outlet' 14C.

The turbine chamber containsra rotat- Vable member comprisingacross bar 28, Figs.

5, and 8, to which are attached two oppositely disposed blades or vanes 29, positioned to be iinpinged against by the fluid entering `through* the tangential openings 2a. The

cross bar 2S islixed upon Va vertical shaftV 30, which has upper and lower pivotal bear-V ings31'and 32, Fig. 8, respectively. VSaid shaft passes through a central tube 33-iii the inner cylinder 15, and extends into a chamber 34 beneath the' cover plate 1l. A bevel gear 35, carried by the upper end portion oitVY said shaft meshes with a similar gear 36 tering mechanism 38.

mechanism is mounted in the chamber 341-, as'

mountedY onthe operating shaft 3'? of a regis- Said registering Y shown in Figs. 3 and 8, and itsV dials and iiguresare visible through apertures 39, Fig. f

2, formed in theY cover plate 11.` lThe registering mechanism.33may be of any well Vknown and suitable construction and is therefore not Vshown in detail in the dra-w# ings.

flowing-through theapertures 20 into,V the compartments or passages 22, and thence directly to the outlet 1.4L, and the other flowing through the apertures 2`1 into the passages 23, and thence through the turbine chamber 25 to the outlet 1a.' The registering-,mecha nism is actuated only by the last mentionedportion ofthe fluid, but saidregist'ering mechanism-is so constructed, and the apertures20 and 21 areso proportioned,that,V

- said mechanism registers in terms of whatever unit may be desired, the total volume of both streams offluid Y 'Y f By vthus diverting a substantial portionV Yof the luid'before passing throughthe tur-V Itwill be seen'from the foregoingthat` `the iiuid, after entering the inner cylinderY 15 `is divided into two se arate streams one 7 7 bine, I am ablev to make said turbinevof suinciently small size to lit within the lower portion of the shell, so that the entire meter is compact and simple in form. VMoreover, by properly positioning and proportioning the apertures 20 and 21 in the wall of the inner cylinder 715, themeter isrrendered accurate for all variations'in flow up to its maximum capacity. In this connection it should be stated that the area of the outlet 1 4 is preferably greater than the combined area of the apertures 20 and, 21, so that no back-pres sure is imposed upon the turbine, and the fluid is not forced up through thezcentral tube 33 into the chamber 34' of the registering mechanism. i Y

The iiuid passages 22 are lpositioned:oppo-V l site each other, as are the passages 23so that thev accuracy'fofthe meter will not beimpairedby a sli htinclination from'the verti-l cal position. uch inclination, although increasing the head of the fluid atene side of.` the inner cylinder 15, would correspondingly decrease its head at the Oppositesidefsofthat although more fluid Uwould pass into'onefof p the passages 22 0r 23vjas Vthegcasenmaybe, Y

'correspondingly less would pass intothe opf posite passage, and' thelratiofbetween the amount-s flowing through bothfpassages 22 and both passages 23 would remain constant.

1.'A fluidpmeter comprisingwa tubular` shell having an inletV Vand anoutlet;r a tu?V shell having an inlet and an outlet ga tubular member lwithinV said shell inV spaced relation ica Y thereto, said Vmember communieatingV Vwith the inlet of said shell and vbeing provided -V with achamberat one end,` andgwitlraper-V i tures leading from its interior into the'spa'ce between it and theshell to `provide fa 'free i .i passage for thefluid from theinlet't'othe'Y ioutlet'of said shell, and said memberibeing furtherV provided jwithapertures forming a; Vfluid passage from its interior through said chamberYV to the oiilet; of said 'shellyalrotor in said chamberoperated by the fluid streamY Y Y 3. 'A fluid'meter comprising a sli'ellhav-V passing therethrough; andfa registering deber Within said 'shell in' 'spaced relationfV thereto, said 'member.communieatin'g Vwith A. Vtheinlet Vof Vthe shell, andY provided with Y' apertures leading' troni` its interioirinto the Y ing an inlet and Van outlet ;A atubular mein-V i A space between it and the shell, and also provided with a chamber at one end; substantially radial partitions dividing said space into separate passagemone of said passages communicating directly with the outlet of the shell, andthe other indirectly through the chamber of said member; a rotor in said chamber operated by the fluid stream passing therethrough; anda registering device operated by said rotor.

4l. A fluid meter comprising a shell hav- .ing an inlet at one end and an outlet at its 4other end; a member Within the shell in Y spaced relation thereto, and communicating at one end with the shell inlet, and having With the shell outlet, said member having apertures in its Wall leading from its interior into the space between it and the shell, and having also other apertures leading from said space into the said chamber; partitions dividing said space into separate passages, one of which communicates with the shell outlet, and the other communicates through the last named apertures with the said chamber; a rotor in said chamber operated by the fluid stream passing therethrough; and a registering device operated by said rotor.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

RAY J. LYMAN. 

